Cultivator and pulverizer



Apr l 2 1954 I E. J. PATTERSON 2,675,748

CULTIVATOR AND PULVERIZER "iled Feb. 27; 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 lnireu'roi .Edz'e J PaZZa-son ATTORNEYS April 20; 1954 E. J. PATTERSON CULTIVATOR AND PULVERIZER Filed Feb; 27, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 20, 1954 cU 'rIvAroR AND PULVERIZER Edie JrPatterson, .Stockton, Calif.,-assignor of one-half to Edward Garvey, Stockton, Cali f Application February 27, 1951, Serial No. 212,945

This invention is directed to, andit is a major object to provide, a novel power driven, rotary plow or cultivator-.

Another important object is to provide a rotary cultivator which embodies a novel assembly of earth digging and elevating plows, longitudinal cutter blades to the rear of the plows, and a driven chopping rotor mounted above the cutter blades in cooperating relation; thereto;

such assembly functioning to accomplish relatively deep plowing with a maximum of earth chopping or pulverization of the dug earth before it is redeposited. 1

A further object of the; invention is to provide a rotary cultivator which includes a vertically adjustable deflector hood which serves as the mount for the assembly of the plows, cutter blades, and rotor such parts thus being vertically adjustable in unison with the hoodwhereby when the plowing depth of the implement is altered, all of such working parts remain in the same relative positions.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a rotary cultivator which is operative-to produce a fully cultivated, pulverized, loose. soil seed bed with only one pass along the ground; the implement thus being economical, and'effective to prepare a seed bed in a minimum of time. 1.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a rotary cultivator which is designed for ease and simplicity of, manufacture; the implement being sturdy, and when in use requiring little maintenance or servicing.

Still another object of the invention is:to provide-a practical andreliable rotary cultivator, and one which will be exceedingly'efiective for the purpose for which it is designed. I 9

These objects are accomplished by-means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings: I

Fig. l is a side elevation of the implement, with the earth working assembly in raised, nonworking or transport position.

Fi 2 is a sectional plan of the implement on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation on line 2-3 parts as lowered to working position.-

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front view of the plow unit; the view being taken on line 4-6 of -Fig."-2.

Fig. 5 is'a perspective view of one of the longitudinal cutter blades of the grate.

of Fig. 2, showing the earth working i 5 Claims. (01. 97-10) --Referringnow more particularly to the characters-of reference on. the drawings, the cultivator comprises an elongated main frame, indicated generally,at-l, ofarch type; such main frame including transversely spaced side beams 2. suitably connected together in the length thereof." 1 a .1

At-the front the mainframe I is supported by a central front wheel truck: 3'wh1ch includesa forwardly projectingtongue 'k adapted to coupie to a tractor in draft relation. &3.

At the rear the main-frame l is supported by transversely spacedrear wheels .5.

The numeral '6 indicates a. pair of transversely spaced, forwardly projecting. :mounting plates fixedly secured inthe main frame I at the rear lower portion thereof-L 111 An elongated; longitudinally:extending hood, indicated generally at 1,-is disposed within the confines of the mainframe I; .iwe. centrally below the sideubeams The-hood 1 includes a top 8 and sides- 9; the sides along the lower edge :portion thereof being reinforced by side beams H). f 4 -I.'.-' i

"A driven shaft II: is journalled'in' connection withgand extends -between,r mounting plates 6, and at its rear" end thehood- 'lwincludes a-transverse sleeve l2 which surrounds-said shaft'so that the rear end-of the-'hoodissupported therefrom the hoodithusbeing vertically adjustable about saidshaft-as'an axis. m

The hood 1 isverticallyadjustably suspended from the forward part of the main frame I, as

follows: s

A cross bar l3 extends between the sides!) adjacent the front .upper corners thereof,-'*and lift-links it are pivotedtopand extend upward from, said cross bar-to adjustable connection with leverzarms-yli which radiatevfroma cross shaft iii journaled on and spanning between the side. beams 2. The'crossshaft Iii includes'a central lever arm. i'Land-a double-acting,-fluid pressure energized power cylinder or ram l8 connects between a forward point on the main frame I, and the upper end of. the lever arm ll. Actuation of the power cylinderi Win one direction or the other under Iithe control of a valve regulated, fluid pressure conduit system (not shown) icauses upor down adjustment of thehood lthrough' the medium of thedescribed connecting mechanism.- s

In order-to relieve the power cyli'nder H! 'of the load when the hood 1 is lowered" to its ground engaging working position, a pair" offorwardly and upwardly converging suspension and antisway chains l9 connect between the front ends of corresponding sides 9 and the front cross beam 29 of the main frame I. The connection of the chains I9 with the sides 9 is vertically adjustable, so that the maximum depth of plowing may be predetermined.

The hood 1, in addition to serving as such, is a sufficiently strong and rigid structure to carry the working parts of the cultivator, as follows:

Adjacent, but short of. the front end of the hood I it is fittedat the bottom-with a rigid cross bar 2| which extends between the sides 9; such sides, at the forward portion and for a distance above the side beams l0, being cut away, as at 22.

A transversely extending earth digging and elevating plow unit, indicated generally at 23, is mounted in connection with, and projects forwardly from, the cross bar 2 i; such plow unit including flat but canted plows 24 having diagonal front edges 25. The plows 24 are carried on shanks 25 which are rigidly secured to the cross bar 21. is mounted in connection with the cross bar 2| A heavy-duty central ripper tooth 21 and projects forwardly, while the front ends of the side beams Iii likewise carry plow blades 28.

With advance of the implement, with the hood I lowered to working position, the plow unit 23,

working at predetermined depth, digs up a consharpened on their upper edge, as shown.

Side arms 32 are fixed to opposite end portions of the'cross shaft and project rearwardly; tension springs 33 connecting between the rear ends of said side arms 32 and elevated points on the sides 9. normally maintain the grate 29 in a position generally parallel to the lower edges of the sides 9, yet permit of downward yielding of the grate when necessary.

Thedug earth which delivers over the cross bar 2! onto the grate 29 is chopped and pulverized by a driven rotor, indicated generally at 34, above said grate. The rotor 34 includes a center shaft 35 which is journaled on and extends between the sides 9, and a drum 36 is carried by said shaft between said sides.

The drum 3% is fitted with a multiplicity of adjaoent but transversely spaced earth working spinners 37, each including a plurality of circum ferentially spaced, radial shanks 38 having laterally extending cutters 39 on the ends; corresponding shanks and cutters of the respective spinners 3? being progressively circumferentially spiraled in the manner clearly shown in Fig. 3.

As the dug earth is delivered onto the grate 29, the spinners 31 act thereon to effectively chop and pulverize such earth, which chopping or pulverizing action is enhanced by the sharpened upperedges of the cutter blades 3| of said grate.

From the rotor 34 the chopped pulverized earth is discharged rearwardly with considerable force, but is maintained against undesirable escape by the hood I, thus falling back onto the ground as a well conditioned seed bed.

' As will be seen from Figs. 3 and 4, the sloping With this arrangement the springs 33 iii position and cant of the diagonal edged plows 24 disposes them so that they cut deeper at the point than at the back and thus form a number of longitudinal troughs in the ground, which act to hold and prevent any lateral runoff of underground water.

In order to level such seed bed, the rear end of the hood 2' is comprisedat the lower portion -of an upstanding, transversely extending bafiie or deflector plate 40 hinged, at its upper edge-- as at 4l-for adjustment. Adjustment arms 42 connect between the plate 40 and adjacent rear portions of the main frame I, whereby said plate can be set at a selected downward and rearward incline, which also regulates the elevation of the lower edge of said plate. As the implement advances, the plate 40 serves to strike the chopped and pulverized soil to a predetermined level and to smooth the seed bed.

The rotor 34 is driven, at relatively high speed and in a direction so that it turns downwardly at the front, as follows:

An engine and transmission unit, indicated generally at 43, is mounted transversely atop the main frame I and includes an output shaft 44, a clutch control lever 45, and a transmission shifting lever 46.

An endless multiple belt and pulley unit 41 connects the output shaft 44 to the rear cross shaft l I; there being a spanner bar 48 journaled between such shafts in order to relieve the same of strain.

In turn, the rear cross shaft I l is connected in driving relation, on opposite sides of the hood 1 I, to the center shaft 35 of the rotor 34 by endless, multiple belt and pulley units 49. With this driving arrangement power is effectively imparted to the rotor 34, yet without hindering vertical adjustment of the hood I and the working parts mounted therein.

The invention provides a very practical and reliable rotary cultivator; being an implement capable of working under varied types of soil conditions and irrespective of crop remainder, such as chaff, stalks, etc. lying on the surface of the ground.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

1. A cultivator comprising a main frame supported for movement along the ground, a mount carried by the main frame adjacent the ground, a transversely extending plow unit secured to the mount in position to work in the ground, a transversely extending grate secured to the mount rearwardly of the plow unit in position to receive earth dug by the latter, and a driven earth chopping rotor journaled in the mount in a plane above and in cooperating relation to the grate; the grate including a plurality of longitudinal cutter blades; a cross shaft journaled in the mount, the cutter blades being fixed to and projecting rearward from the cross shaft, and means yieldably resisting turning of the cross shaft in a direction to lower said cutter blades.

2. A cultivator, as in claim 1, in which said yieldable means comprises an arm radiating from an end of the cross shaft, and a spring connected between said arm and the mount.

3. A cultivator comprising av main frame supported for movement along the ground, a longitudinal hood mounted in the frame adjacent the ground, the hood including a top and sides, a cross bar spannin between the sides adjacent the bottom and front thereof, a transversely extending earth digging plow unit secured to and projecting forward from the cross bar, a transversely extending grate, means securing the grate in connection with the sides and projecting rearward from adjacent the cross bar, the grate including spaced longitudinal cutter bars, and the grate securing means being a cross shaft journaled on and extending between the sides, the blades being attached at their forward ends to said shaft, means yieldably resisting turning of the cross shaft in a direction to lower the cutter bars, and a driven earth chopping rotor journaled on and extending between the sides in a plane above and in cooperating relation to the grate.

4. A cultivator comprising a main frame supported for movement along the ground, a longitudinal hood mounted in the frame adjacent the ground, the hood including a top and sides, a cross bar spanning between the sides adjacent the bottom and front thereof, a transversely extending earth digging plow unit secured to and projecting forward from the cross bar, a cross shaft journaled on and extending between the sides, a plurality of transversely spaced longitudinal cutter blades affixed to the cross shaft and projecting rearward therefrom, means resisting turning of the cross shaft in a direction tending to lower the cutter blades, and a driven earth chopping rotor journaled on and extending between the sides in a plane above and in cooperative relation to said cutter bars.

5. A cultivator comprising a main frame supported for movement along the ground, a longitudinal hood disposed beneath the frame, said hood including a top and sides, a driven cross shaft mounted in connection with the frame adjacent the rear end of the hood, means pivotally mounting the hood for vertical adjustment about the driven shaft as an axis, vertically adjustable suspension means between the front end portion of the hood and the frame, a transversely extending earth digging plow unit secured between the sides of the hood adjacent the bottom and front thereof, a transversely extending grate secured between the sides rearwardly of the plow unit and in position to receive dug earth therefrom, the grate including longitudinal cutter bars, an earth chopping rotor journaled on and extending between the sides in a plane above and in cooperating relation to the grate, and drive means between said driven cross shaft and the rotor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 351,028 Gilbert Oct. 19, 1386 508,685 Davy Nov. 14, 1893 1,533,274 Reynolds Apr. 14, 1925 2,302,973 Sargent Nov. 24, 1942 2,554,498 Patterson May 29, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 251,148 Germany June 17, 1911 

